The Age of Dissonance
by allyontheline
Summary: Amy's in love with her best friend, and although Karma appears to return these sentiments, Amy begins to question the risks of pursuing a relationship with her, and whether it wiser to settle with the haunting of what might have been. Rated T for sexual content.
1. Chapter 1: You Know You Love Me

Karma Ashcroft switched the station to Austin's country radio, and Luke Bryan's voice melodically pierced the quiet evening air. Karma sang along softly, and so Amy Raudenfeld glanced at her best friend for a second too long as they pulled up onto her driveway. Karma shifted the car to the parking gear, and returned Amy's gaze the moment she looked away. There was a short moment of silence.

"You were staring at me," Karma observed carefully.

"I was," Amy admitted.

Karma smiled at her softly and toyed with the keys that were still in ignition. She breathed in a little sigh before asking, "What were you thinking?"

"About the massive heap of homework I have tonight," Amy replied quickly.

Karma's eyes betrayed a twinge of disappoint.

"Why do you ask?" was Amy's save.

"It's silly."

"Well, if you want to discuss it, text me."

Amy unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to open the passenger door when she felt Karma's hand on one of hers.

"Wait," Karma whispered.

Amy veered her head towards her and Karma took both of her friend's hands in hers.

"I don't want to discuss it," she continued, "but I have a compromise for that."

Amy was confused and more than a little dazed as Karma's lips crashed into hers in a passionate manner she did not credit her capable of. Her mouth moved against Amy's slowly and softly. It was a dry, sensual kiss that woke her gut and lifted it to the height of its spirits. Seconds passed and Karma did not part from the blonde. Fireworks of the mental variety were set off. Amy could not rationalize the situation but she kept her lips on Karma's. Amy mentally noted that she tasted much like the scent of a freshly mowed lawn and cinnamon hearts, a later acquired love of hers. Karma's thumbs began to trace circles in the palms of Amy's hands, eliciting a moan from Amy's mouth into hers. Minutes seemed to pass, and Karma betrayed no motion of fading interest.

Amy gently wrestled her hands from her best friend's hold and moved them along her camisole, slowing at Karma's waistline. She was a little diffident about encroaching upon these boundaries so she shut out her mind and slipped her fingers beneath the fabric and crept up to her bra. She massaged a breast in one hand as Karma continued to kiss her. She had long wondered about Karma's bosom. Her skin felt smooth and soft, and her nipples hardened as she similarly traced circles around them. Karma breathed in heavily.

"You like that, don't you," Amy teased.

Karma moaned in an adorable manner.

"Do that again," Amy commanded.

She moaned again, this time with a sensual lilt in her voice.

Karma's camisole came off, and she unhooked her bra with one hand. Amy's eyes widened at the sight, and a grin spread across her face. Karma taunted Amy's face with her breasts for a few seconds before leveling with her. Karma let her hands then rest around Amy's neck, as Amy's crept down towards Karma's ass. Amy groped her, admiring the rich contour. Karma continued even now to kiss her feverishly, and Amy worked the nerve to slip her tongue between her teeth. Their tongues touched for fleeting instances before settling in a combat.

"I've waited so long for this," Amy confessed in between breaths.

"I know," she replied, "you were practically begging me with your eyes."

"Shut up."

"You know you love me."

"I do not," Amy amused.

"Tell me you want me."

"No."

She blew air into Amy's ear, and licked behind her tragus. "Tell me you want me," Karma repeated in a carnal whisper. Her tongue traced the bends of the helix, and Amy found her breaths slowing down.

"I've always wanted you," Amy relinquished.

Karma responded by swirling her tongue into the external canal of Amy's ear, a sensation that heightened the nerves crawling up her spine. Amy shivered in pleasure.

"How do you like that?"

"You're such a tease."

"I know."

Amy had never witnessed Karma in such a state of lust, and she knew she would later cherish this tapestry of memories.

"I want to please you," Amy offered.

"Then please me, loser face."

Amy began to suck gently on her breasts. She hummed, sensing the vibrations appealed to Karma. Her tongue glided across her nipples in a rhythmic manner. She settled on one as her hand pumped the other. Karma groaned. The intervals between Amy's heartbeats shortened.

"Can I say I love you," Amy blurted out.

"Don't talk," Karma answered as she steered Amy's head into her other breast.

Amy's hands began to work on her friend's belt. It came sliding out of the loopholes, as Karma undid the buttons to her high-waisted shorts. Soon Karma was clad in nothing but a plain red pair of Victoria's Secret panties. Amy admired her body with savage eyes, yet an inkling of her humanity pressed for the use of her common sense. Karma leaned in again towards her friend, and guided one of Amy's hands to her wet center. Amy cringed at my sudden awareness of the repercussions of this relation, and so she removed her limbs from Karma's in a quick manner.

"What's wrong?" Karma inquired, with a mix of hurt and confusion in her eyes.

"I want to be friends."

"We are friends, silly."

"This isn't what friends do."

"You don't like the individualized benefits?"

"I like knowing that we're friends more than anything else. And this will eventually complicate the friendship I have with you, and I'm saving both of us from the fallout by saying this can never happen again."

Amy recomposed her appearance and slipped out of Karma's car. She feared her best friend's glare was she to look back into the vehicle, and so she marched straightforward to her front door without as much as a glance behind her.


	2. Chapter 2: A Long Time Coming

It was a quarter past midnight. Amy Raudenfeld was spread out on her bed lazily, decked out in a Mickey Mouse onesie and staring blankly at the chemistry exercises in her textbook. Her mind continually drifted to Karma and their lustful episode in the car hours earlier. She stared at her phone, which rested by her feet. Karma had called her a dozen times in the past two hours, yet Amy had hit ignore every single time. She would not tolerate any conversation proceeding their messy evening until she could rationalize her thoughts.

Suddenly, Amy's bedroom door flung open.

"Lauren," Amy started, "what the fuck?"

Her step-sister-to-be smiled in an amused manner and tossed her blonde hair to one side. And then she frowned.

"Your girlfriend needs to quit calling me. And stalking me," Lauren hissed coolly.

"Don't flatter yourself, I needed someone to let me in," Karma snapped, appearing at the doorframe. Her eyes softened when she noticed her best friend blinking tiredly at the situation.

"Are you both menstruating?" Lauren puffed.

"I'd ask the same but you're a bitch twenty-four-seven," Amy shot back with her signature smirk.

"I cannot deal," Lauren articulated, "and I need my beauty sleep. See ya." She left the bedroom door open, which Karma quietly shut.

Amy lowered her gaze and cleared her throat uncomfortably. At that moment, her phone vibrated and the screen lit up. It was a text from Shane Harvey.

"So I see your phone isn't dead," Karma stated, with a tone full of implications.

"Why did you kiss me?" Amy countered.

There was a long pause.

"I don't know," she admitted carefully.

"Wrong answer."

"It's the truth. I thought this pseudo-relationship was a wonderful idea, but all it did was complicate things."

"I _love you_ Karma. That's not complicated."

"And I love you too… maybe not how you want me to, but it is there."

"Then what the hell were you doing with me?"

"I wanted you in that moment."

"I don't understand."

"I realized after you left that I'd confused my feelings and … and I had sex with Liam Booker the other day!" Karma blurted the last phrase out quickly.

"You're shitting me."

"I'm sorry, I felt guilty for not telling you sooner but I couldn't."

"Couldn't?"

"I know how you feel about my attraction towards him, and –"

"What am I to you, Karma? Because you have a funny way of showing that you care for me."

"Of course I care for you, it's just that –"

"It's Liam Booker?"

Karma swallowed. Hard.

"Listen," Amy sighed. "I think we have to be honest – this was a long time coming."

"This as in…"

"As in I'm through," Amy declared. "I know you have this pretty little picture of our friendship inside your head, but let's face it. That world disappeared the second we were outed to Hester High as a lesbian couple. You have these simple high school dreams of popularity and dashing boys, which I don't share. I fell in love with you because you were beautiful and endearing… and now I understand that Liam will always come first, despite what you say."

"Amy…" Visible tears were welling up in Karma's eyes.

"You chose him, Karma. And I'm saving my heart."


	3. Chapter 3: The 21st Century Cliché

"You don't mean it," Karma murmured, blinking back a few tears.

"This isn't something I want to be challenged on."

"No one sane throws away ten years of friendship over this!"

"You're constantly changing into someone more and more different from me," Amy argued, "I liked it before, when it was just me and you. But you weren't satisfied with that."

"In case you haven't clued in, we were losers before. We had no other friends. You wouldn't have had Shane in your life," Karma shot back. "We were pretty much destined to a life with the Good Karma food truck my parents own."

"At least that didn't come with a side of Liam Booker."

"Why must you be so difficult?"

"Because you've been so self-centered and I'm done."

"What do you want from me, Amy," Karma sighed.

"I told you. I don't want anything to do with you. I'm in love with my straight best friend, who happens to be in love with someone else. And I shouldn't be. It's a tired-out twenty-first century cliché. Nothing is the same. And the worst part is ... nothing will be."

"That's not true."

"We both know it is. I don't know what you're chasing anymore."

"I'm chasing my best friend."

"That's hilarious, because I could've sworn I was your best friend, not Liam."

"You know what I meant."

"I do. And that's why I'm asking you to leave. Besides, it's late."

"I'm not leaving."

"Suit yourself," Amy responded, glaring at Karma as she walked over to flip off the light switch. She rolled back into bed and slipped underneath the sheets, purposefully turning away from her _ex_-best friend, who was leaning comfortably against the doorframe.

Karma's presence haunted Amy's thoughts as she attempted to fall asleep. Her eyelids were heavy yet her mind was unforgiving, and she lied awake in bed for what felt like an hour. In mind, she was conflicted – it was reassuring that Karma had chosen to stay put, yet frustrating that she could not offer what Amy wanted. There was a part of Amy that longed for Karma to enchant her with a grand romantic gesture, before her strict reality scoffed at the reverie and broke down her hope once more. Time continued to move slowly, until her annoyance hit the boiling point.

"Can you quit breathing so damn loudly?" Amy finally snapped as she turned to her doorway.

But Karma was gone.


	4. Chapter 4: Bliss in Every Definition

In her dreams, Karma was in love with her. She felt Karma's hands all over her body, and amidst their heavy breathing, the evening breeze elicited a feeling that Amy swore she could never forget. They were on a familiar, quiet street in the suburbs, with Karma leaning against a streetlamp and her arms around Amy's neck as the two kissed for several minutes. The shadows danced on their faces, and scent of dewy grass drifted into the air. Amy breathed in deeply, and felt Karma's smile on her lips. This was bliss in every definition.

But that scene was nothing more than a dream.

At abruptly a quarter past seven in the morning, her phone went off. Amy Raudenfeld groaned, eyes half-shut, as she fumbled around her bed and dressing stand with her hands. She picked up her phone and grumbled a "hello". There was silence on the other end. Confused, she diverted her attention to the phone screen – only to realize she was holding her digital alarm clock in hand.

A look of amusement crossed her sheepish face as she set it back down on the stand. And then her real phone actually did ring, and she dug it out from underneath her pillows.

"Hey," she answered.

"Why didn't you return my text last night?" A slightly dramatic voice inquired. Shane.

"Ou, I forgot. Karma and I, we got into a huge fight last night. I think we're done."

"Nonsense. You two have fought before. You'll kiss and make up in no time."

"It's real this time. But let's talk about it later."

"That reminds me, Oliver's been hounding me between classes on ways to ask you out. What do I tell the poor kid?"

"Oh fuck. But the whole school still thinks Karma and I are still together! Monday is going to be a shit show."

"He's persistent. And a sweet guy too. Besides, you did kiss him. Too bad he's in love with a Karmasexual. He could always play for my team."

"Ugh, no. I am initiating a Karma cleanse as of this moment. Want to come over and sort all of her things into cardboard boxes with me?"

"Darling, we are not spending a perfectly beautiful Saturday indoors, scavenging around for a decade's worth of memories to discard. I have plans for us today. Which, if you'd read my texts, you'd know."

"But what if I want to spend the day with my boyfriend?"

"Don't kid me, Amy," Shane smiled.

"I'm serious. You know, that moustache man on the Pringles containers? He makes really good chips."

"Okay, I am saving you before you descend into complete insanity. Pick you up in half an hour."

Amy hung up the phone. In half an hour? Karma used to take at least an hour to get ready. That was something she already did not miss… _No_. _Karma no longer exists. _With that mantra in mind, she greeted Shane at the door around half-past-eight, decked out in her signature beanie, high-rise skinny jeans, and a striped sailor shirt.

"Alright, where are we headed off to today?" Amy asked.

"Six Flags!" he notified, with a quirky sort of hesitation in his manner.

"I feel like there's something you're not telling me…"

"Liam is coming," Shane confessed with a big smile.

"Shane!"

"C'mon. Maybe you two will learn to understand each other. Besides, who do you think is driving?"

"This will be the most awkward three-hour car ride ever. I refuse. No."

"But see you have to come," Shane pleaded, "I met this really dreamy guy on Tinder and we're supposed to meet up there today. I need you and Liam there for moral support. Well, more so you. Liam will probably disappear with the first pretty girl that acknowledges him."

Liam's playboy nature irritated Amy to every extreme. She did not trust his intentions, and was strict in her view that he could only ruin Karma. However, that was now a concern of her past.

"I don't know, Shane. I'm excited for you but-"

"He has a hot lesbian sister that he's bringing along," Shane promised. "The only problem is she's 18, making you technically walking jailbait."

"It's too soon."

Outside, Liam honked the horn.

"Well?" Shane questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Fuck it, let's go," Amy decided.

"Yesss. I call shotgun!" Shane pumped his fist into the air and skipped towards the passenger seat. Amy followed and soon enough found herself in the backseat. Liam glanced over his shoulder, and the two exchanged a wordless glance. He nodded at her and started the car.

"Can you two be any more uncomfortable with each other?" Shane chuckled.


	5. Chapter 5: The Perfect Strip Song

An hour later, the silence that had brewed in the car came to a screeching halt. Liam Booker had taken an exit off the I-35 North to a nearby rest stop, tailgating a family van and his foot had slipped off the brake for a second before he slammed down on the pedal. Liam, Amy, and Shane lurched forward, before the laws of motion settled them back down in their seats.

"Close call," Shane gasped.

Amy and Shane had been texting each other, the former updating the latter on the fallout of Hester High's cutest couple.

"McDonald's anybody?" Liam croaked.

The three exited his beat-up, dark blue Mercedes and headed inside.

Shane attempted to be the mediator of communication between the two as they stood in line to order, with limited success. Liam was unsure of Amy's reservations on him, thus spoke very little to her. The three sat down at a round table with their trays in tow, and so by the pattern of geometry, Amy and Liam ended up beside each other.

"So Amy, how's Karma been doing?" Liam asked in a friendly manner.

Amy stared at Liam. _Is he for real?_ She bit down on her burger and ignored the question in its entirety.

Liam cleared his throat awkwardly, and exchanged glances with Shane. Shane merely shrugged and sipped his McFlurry.

"Okay then," Liam muttered to himself.

"I'm going to go visit the little boy's room," Shane announced. "Don't miss me too much while I'm gone."

He winked and disappeared from view. Liam avoided all eye contact with Amy, picking at his fries with intense delicacy.

"So how was sex with Karma?" Amy suddenly asked.

Liam looked up, nearly choking on a lump of the burger he had been swallowing. He drank his root beer quickly to alleviate the tension in his throat.

"Uh," Liam began.

"I'm going to make this very easy for the both of us," Amy interjected. "Karma was mine first, but she chose you. So whatever happens on this trip, don't try to make friends with me. I'm not interested."

"She told me you two weren't really dating anymore."

"That doesn't mean that I loved her any less. You destroyed a ten-year-friendship, and I'm over it. But I will never let you forget what you did."

"I didn't want to get in the middle of anything! Karma told me you two were just best friends."

"And we were just best friends. How dense are you? Karma and I were never in a real relationship, it was a, what she would call, a publicity stunt."

"Then I don't understand why you're upset! You had nothing to lose!"

"That changed when I realized I wanted her, except she'd already fallen for you."

"I don't mean to sound like an asshole, but that wasn't my call or yours. Karma chose."

Amy's face instantly hardened.

"Hey guys," Shane bounced back in. "So, what were we talking about?"

The conversation immediately shut down. Their trays were empty now, and so the trio headed back to Liam's car.

They stopped for gas, and about a half hour into their return onto the interstate, Amy began to doze off. Her subconscious thoughts lately seemed to haunt her more than anything, as her mind played out another sexual fantasy with Karma.

A 3oh!3 song served as the melodic backdrop to this particular dream. The lyrics to Touchin' On My blasted from her iPod dock, stirring the air in Amy's bedroom. Karma stood at the foot of Amy's bed, dressed in thigh-high stockings, a short skirt and a see-through button-down layered by a thin camisole. Amy sat cross-legged on her bed, staring at Karma, who flipped her hair to the music. Karma leaned into Amy, and glided her fingernails down her thighs, blowing air into her ear.

"This is the perfect song to strip to, don't you think?" Karma's eyes twinkled.

Amy drew in a sharp breath and smiled. She rolled down Karma's stockings.

Karma backed away to a wall, toying with her button-down before it fell to the ground. Her eyes were locked on Amy's as she picked it up. She reached for Amy's wrists, and formed handcuffs with the fabric.

"So that your hands don't wander," Karma winked. She arched her back as she threw her camisole off, revealing a colourfully red bra. She caressed her breasts, then proceeded to strut towards Amy.

Amy undid the fabric handcuffs, rolled off her bed and pushed Karma against a wall with a passionate force.

"I can take it from here," Amy gleamed, as one of her hands crawled underneath Karma's skirt and she pushed down her panties.

"You're missing the rest of show," Karma pouted.

"I'll make it up to you," Amy breathed as their lips collided.

Amy's eyes opened in that instant. It was an hour later, meaning they were a little less than 40 minutes away from Arlington. Finally. She heard Liam and Shane talking in low whispers. They assumed she was still asleep. And so she listened quietly, with her eyes shut again.

"She's in love with Karma," Shane pressed.

"I know, but that's not fair. Karma's the first girl I've truly fallen for, and she comes with a complication that's beyond my territory of experience."

"I wanted to believe Karma and Amy could happen, but judging from their fight, I don't know if Karma will ever feel that way about Amy. And it sucks. But if it hadn't been you that got in between them, it would've been another guy."

"Do you think they'll make up?"

"Look at us, gossiping like a couple of freshmen girls," Shane chuckled. "I think eventually. But there's a lot of growth they both have to do, as do we. But that's part of high school."

"I hope you're right," Liam confided. "In a perfect world, I'd be with Karma, and Amy and I could be friends."

Amy chose that moment to yawn loudly. She stretched her arms out in an exaggerated manner.

"What time is it?" she asked.


	6. Chapter 6: Never-can-tell

"It's almost eleven," Liam replied, in an effort to be civil.

"Thanks."

"Road games, anyone?" Shane proposed.

Liam and Amy simultaneously groaned.

"We're going to play Picnic," Shane declared. "I want to go a picnic, and I've decided to bring you two along with me."

"Because this road trip has been so fun?" Amy's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Oh shush," Shane responded. "Alright, so we each have to bring items to the picnic. I'll bring prunes. Liam, what will you bring?"

"But I don't like prunes," Liam teased. "Uh, I'll bring a cake."

"Nope, I'm sorry you can't bring that to the picnic."

"Why? It's a cake."

"Amy," Shane ignored him and turned to her, "what will you bring to my picnic?"

"I don't know… ice?" she suggested.

"You may come to picnic."

"Hold up, she can bring ice to a picnic, yet you turn down me and my cake?" Liam frowned. "Are we going to eat ice?"

"Okay, well now you can bring a cake to my picnic," Shane mused.

"Can I also bring stripp-ed bacon?" Liam caught himself as he looked in his mirror back at Amy. Amy however, had been too busy figuring out the pattern of the game to notice Liam.

"No, you cannot," Shane spoke. "I'm uninviting you to my picnic."

"Can I bring Nestea?" Amy asked.

Shane's eyes lit up. "You know how to play."

"It was easy enough to figure out."

"You know what, I didn't want to come to this picnic anyways," Liam huffed.

"I'll bring Italian bread," Shane announced.

"And I'll lug charcoal to this picnic, for the hell of it," Amy concluded.

"What an inventive picnic," Shane grinned.

"Is somebody going to explain how this game works?" Liam interjected.

"It's a never-can-tell. You have to figure it out yourself."

Shane initiated a half-dozen other car games before they took Exit 30 off I-30 East for Six Flags Drive.

"Here we are," Liam said.

Liam directed his Mercedes through the entrance of Six Flags Over Texas with the guide of a parking lot attendant. Amy looked out the car window. In the field of faces walking towards the park gates, her attention was diverted by a couple of ten-year-old girls laughing along as they ran ahead of their parents. One had sunflower blonde hair, and her eyes sparkled as they traced the architecture of the Titan, the fastest and tallest roller coaster in Texas. The other girl had chestnut brown hair and a wild-child look to her. The two chased after one another, chattering with joy at the day that fell before them.

Amy smiled softly at the sight of them. _Back when times were easy_.

Liam parked his car. The three exited the vehicle and found themselves bathing in the Texan heat.

"Whatever happened to Pablo?" Liam suddenly asked Shane.

"Why partake in celibacy when there are other gorgeous boys with hearts of gold?" Shane rationalized.

"What's the name of the Tinder boy?"

"Declan."

"What an aristocratic name," Amy noted.

"I hope he's as elegant as his online persona is," Shane divulged.

Soon enough, Liam, Shane and Amy found themselves checking-in at the turnstiles. None of them carried a bag or purse of any sort, being of the more simple nature.

They walked past the two little girls that Amy had seen earlier, who were now in a line to buy ice cream cones. Amy stared at them once more, and pictures of Karma swirled in her mind. Flashbacks of the past ten years blurred like a moving zoetrope. Karma's laugh echoed with each surfacing memory, from the day little Karma gave up peanut butter to their grade school bus rides to their first day at Hester High together. _How does ten years boil down to nothing at all?_

Liam followed Amy's line of sight to the two children, who each held a vanilla ice cream cone in hand now, and a look of concern shadowed his face as a realization dawned upon him. Amy's kiwi green eyes welled with tears, and so she hid them with her MK sunglasses.

Shane had been too busy IMing Declan to notice the current situation.

"Guys, guys," Shane beamed, "Declan wants to meet at the Sky Screamer."

"How about you and Amy run along," Liam suggested. "I forgot my wallet in the car. I'll text you."

He walked back towards the park gates. Shane looked to Amy.

"Well, I guess that means he won't feel like a fifth wheel on our double date."

"Who is Declan's sister anyways?"

"Her name is Brandy. She's heading off to North Carolina in the fall on a soccer scholarship. Scored 2200 on the SATs. Very much into literature. And very, very hot."

"Sounds intimidating."

"You'll have a good time. C'mon, let's go," Shane said quickly.


	7. Chapter 7: Availability Complex

Shane and Amy whisked through the throngs of unfamiliar faces. As they approached the line for the Sky Screamer, a couple of teenagers who were unmistakeably siblings cut in front of their paths.

The boy had short brown hair that fell over his olive green eyes. He was of a leaner build, dressed handsomely in a lime green oxford cloth shirt, camel chinos, and a pair of Sperry's. His cream-coloured tie and automatic watch complemented his attire.

"Declan," Shane beamed.

"Shane," Declan returned the greeting, along with a golden boy smile.

Amy hardly noticed him, enchanted by his sister.

Brandy did not possess the trademark features of the typical, beautiful all-American girl. She shared her brother's almond brown locks but her eyes were a deeper and brighter shade of green, the kind you've only witness in older movies. She was slender and pretty in a refreshing sense, and moved with a grace that belonged to dancers.

"This is my friend, Amy," Shane introduced, with a suggestive tone in his voice as he looked to Brandy.

"I'm Brandy," she gave a small wave.

"You all down for this ride?" Declan asked, as all four looked up at the amusement park ride.

Screams and laughter were carried into the air by the mechanized winds as the star-shaped rotating gondola lifted its passengers higher up into the troposphere.

"I'm not so sure," Amy admitted. "I'm a little terrified of those swingy chairs."

"I'll sit this one out too," Brandy added, before turn to her brother and Shane. "We'll meet you guys here in three hours?"

Both girls had played their parts in leaving the boys to their first date. Shane and Declan replied with words of agreement, and headed to the end of the Sky Screamer line. Brandy and Amy walked in the opposite direction, following their feet.

"So Amy," Brandy began. "Declan didn't have much to tell me about you. All I've heard is that you're Shane's friend."

"There isn't much to tell," Amy said. "I go to high school in Austin. My parents are divorced ... and my best friend and I broke up last night."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"I'm sorry, we just met, and it's awfully rude of me to dump something like that on you."

"I get it," Brandy acknowledged sympathetically. "I've been there."

"I don't know if you have…"

"Your best friend was straight, and you're not. And you admitted you were in love with her, and you refused to settle for less than a relationship with her."

"Jeez, did Shane text Declan my life story this morning or something?"

"Declan mentioned a line or two to me, but from the way you mentioned your friend, I filled in the cracks."

"So, you have heard enough about me," Amy smiled.

"Yes, I may have fibbed when I said I hadn't."

"This large part of me wants to make up with her, but then there's little voice that assures me it's better off this way."

"It's really up to what you want. If you and your friend were in each other's lives for so long, you have to decide if what you're giving up is worth your peace of mind. Hot dogs?"

Brandy stopped by a food cart and presented a twenty-dollar bill.

"Sure, thank you," Amy replied. "I can't stand that Karma's in a relationship with a guy who didn't even notice her until she pretended she was a lesbian."

Brandy handed Amy one of the two hot dogs.

"I think you'll learn, some ways down the road that it all boils down to the availability complex. Tell me this - do you think Karma's the one for you?"

"Yes," Amy affirmed, squeezing ketchup onto her snack from the condiments table. "I mean, I know we're just 15 but there shouldn't be a societal age requirement to be in love with someone. I'd spend the rest of my life with her in a heartbeat."

"You're telling me, that in a sea of 7 billion people, Karma is the only one who could be your soul mate?"

"No one else knows me better."

"And that's the thing. She knows you best because you've let her in all these years. It takes a long time to learn someone, but that doesn't mean you can't let someone else in the way you've let her in. She's been there for you, and so naturally you become attracted to her. You don't like Liam because he was able to charm her so easily, and she's never looked at you that way in all these years that you've been friends."

"Ouch," Amy replied as she bit into her hot dog.

"I'm sorry. This probably won't stick with you, but I'm hoping it does when I tell you that moving on from Karma romantically will be the toughest lesson in your life. It doesn't mean that your friendship can't mature from this, but it'll take lots of work."

"Sometimes I wish I never fell in love with her."

"We're vulnerable to emotions. But that's the beauty in being young."

"I'm surprised you didn't end up going into English or writing at a top-notch liberal arts college," Amy teased.

"I thought about it," Brandy noted. "But there's this vibe and spirit in large state schools that you don't find anywhere else."

"Karma said that same thing."

"You'll get over it," she reassured knowingly. "You think you won't ever, but that day will come. But right now, we're at Six Flags, and I wanna go on some damn rides."

She took one of Amy's hands and led her away. Amy smiled at her energy as she took another bite of her hot dog.


	8. Chapter 8: A Little Brandy

Karma glanced at the time on her cellphone. _Where was Liam? _

He had called her a half hour earlier and she'd told him that she was in Fort Worth, a 3-hour-drive from Austin. He hadn't questioned her on the reason for her whereabouts, but that if she could afford the time, he'd pick her up at The T transit station. She learned in their brief conversation that he had driven to Six Flags that morning with Shane and Amy in tow, which she had a difficult time believing, considering Amy's reservations on him. Karma, however, didn't bring this up. He stated very calmly on the phone that it wasn't a dire emergency but Amy needed her, and so Karma agreed to the arrangement.

Liam had not forgotten his wallet in his car, but he had needed an excuse to validate his absence for the next hour or so. Shane would be preoccupied with his lover boy and Amy would not go looking for him in that time frame.

When he'd told Karma he'd fallen for her, he had meant that whole-heartedly. He understood how important Amy and Karma were to one another, and so it was his duty to ensure that his girl was happy on all fronts. In his head, the 26-minute drive from Arlington to Fort Worth was a simple fix to this mess of a story.

Karma spotted Liam's dark blue Mercedes on the street that paralleled the station, and she immediately slid into the shotgun seat.

"Sorry I'm a little late, got a little lost with the GPS on my iPhone," Liam explained.

"It's okay," Karma smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Liam repeated back. "But right now, let's focus on you and Amy."

Amy and Brandy sat at one of the outdoor patio tables, looking down the menu items. Brandy was absent-mindedly humming that Ariana Grande song, the one overplayed on every major radio station in the country. Amy knew, from the way she leered at Brandy when she thought she wasn't looking, that Karma wasn't the only girl she'd ever be attracted to. Not that she wanted to particularly be involved with Brandy, but she wouldn't mind a kiss or two. As if on cue, Brandy's hand reached over the table and rested over Amy's. The two girls looked at each other, and Amy sensed her cheeks were flushed.

They had a nice little lunch together in the middle of the afternoon, and Amy found herself enjoying the company.

Karma bought an entrance pass and followed Liam through the park gates. During their short drive to Six Flags, all Karma had been able to gather was that Amy seemed miserable without her. She found it adorable that Liam cared that much about her friendship with Amy, and she only wished Amy could be more understanding. But she needed Amy more at the end of the day.

Liam and Karma walked past various booths, including the usual one that guessed your age, weight and birth month. The carny at that booth, a gorgeous man in his mid–twenties, attempted to seduce Karma into playing with his charm. However, Liam was quick to usher her away, frowning at the carny.

As Karma veered away from the booth, she caught notice of the patio scene at the All-American Café. She'd recognize Amy's blonde locks and lithe figure from anywhere. She was sitting at a table, with an assumed friend. Karma was about to approach them, when she saw the friend lean over and peck Amy on the lips. Liam similarly witnessed every detail.

"I guess she doesn't need me," Karma noted softly, and walked away from Liam.

That kiss had caught Amy by surprise.

"Let's ride the Titan?" Brandy suggested, to which Amy had adopted a positive attitude and agreed.

They waited a half hour, and in those 30 minutes, Amy felt herself learning about a girl other than Karma for the first time. She found Brandy shared her sense of humour, and was an entertaining storyteller, being three years her senior. Sure, Brandy didn't share a history with her that Karma did, and she could not replace Karma, but she was a new face. Perhaps her happiness wasn't dependent upon Amy. She had many more years to experience all outlets of life. She mentally noted to thank Shane later for introducing them.

Soon enough, Amy and Brandy found themselves in the second row of the first rollercoaster car. Amy closed her eyes as the ride started. The drop came quickly, and for a brief moment it felt like she was shooting towards the damn sky. Fear pulsed through her veins as the orange tracks swerved in different directions. She opened her eyes again and felt herself being heaved upwards, against the velocity of gravity. Brandy sat beside her, laughing beautifully to the wind, and they raised their hands in unison.

Up there in the sky, Amy felt invincible.

_Karma who?_


	9. Chapter 9: A Thousand Love Stories

On the Monday following that weekend, Amy found herself sitting with Karma at the same bus stop bench. There was an uneasy tension, which was a new territory for the pair. Karma had arrived there earlier, occupying the far right spot. Her earphones were in, saving Amy from greeting her as she took the seat to the far left.

This silence carried on for the rest of the week. Amy spent her lunch hours with Oliver in his secret room at the school, observing the rest of the Hester High student body on his surveillance monitors. He was amusing, and for a few moments he eased away the pain of Karma's absence. Amy saw that Karma had begun to associate with Liam's friends. So she had found a new circle. Amy rationed her spare time at school between Shane and Oliver. In class, it was no longer Karma that Amy was texting. It was Brandy.

That past Saturday night, when Liam had drove Amy and Shane back to Austin from Six Flags, Shane had dreamily recounted his Disney-esque day with Declan. The two had decided to continue their budding romance, with Declan agreeing to drive down from Grand Prairie the following weekend to visit.

Shane had turned to Amy and asked her about Brandy. Amy divulged that Brandy was "a really cool girl" and although a spark had been there, it was not enough to fuel a long-distance relationship. They had agreed to stay in touch through social media.

A week later, Amy didn't see Karma at the bus stop. By that time, the entire school had heard about Karma and Amy's break-up, and that it was for real this time. There was some backlash on the fresh romance between Liam and Karma, but not enough to deter the two from holding hands in public.

Three days after that, when Amy arrived at school, she saw Karma's parents drop her off. So that solved the mystery to that. Oddly enough, this piece of knowledge stung her.

A month went by. It was strange, that a span of four weeks could separate two best friends of ten years to the point of nothing at all. There were times, many a times, when something would happen with Amy and the only person who she felt could genuinely relate was Karma. But Karma existed in another world now.

And then one day, on a Wednesday afternoon, Amy shut her locker and came face-to-face with Karma. Amy blinked, holding tighter to her binder and textbook.

"Yes?"

"Listen, I know you probably don't want to talk to me," Karma ranted. "But I want to be friends. I mean, maybe it's not the best idea, maybe you're still mad at me but I feel like I need you in my life and –"

Amy put a finger to Karma's lips.

"I do too," Amy said as she drew her finger away from Karma's mouth.

"Really?"

"Of course. But it's going to take some time to get over you, so that this cold war doesn't happen again."

"What about that girl?"

"What girl?"

"That girl you kissed at Six Flags."

Amy's eyes furrowed in confusion. "How'd you know about that?"

"Liam called me that weekend you went to Six Flags. I was in Fort Worth because Zen was temporarily stationed there. He's done his time volunteering in Africa. That's why I left your room the night we fought. I'd gotten a text from my parents and we drove up there in the early morning so we could spend as much time with my brother as we could before the Peace Corps assigned him elsewhere."

Amy listened intently.

"Anyways," Karma continued, "Liam told me that you needed me and so he drove me and I saw you at Six Flags. You were with that girl, and you two were holding hands. And I figured I had pulled you into enough of my schemes that you deserved to have a chance at happiness without my interfering. So Liam drove me back to Fort Worth before returning to you guys."

"Brandy was chill, but we aren't dating."

"I hope it's not because…" Karma trailed off.

"I don't know," Amy replied.

"You're more important to me than any boy, including Liam Booker. I wish I loved you the way you wanted me to."

They stared at each other for a long time.

"Me too," Amy finally said,

"I don't know if we'll ever be best friends the way we were, but I guess people change and that's not always a bad thing. Just know I want you in my life, Ames, forever."

"And I'll always feel the same way," Amy smiled.

Karma took a step closer to Amy. For a moment, Karma's perfume cast a dizzy spell on her. And then they hugged for several long seconds, until Karma parted from her with a kiss on the cheek.

"You'll always be the Serena to my Blair."

"And you'll always be the Summer to my Marissa."

Karma took both of Amy's hands in hers, and grinned. They laughed, a laughter that released the tension, frustration, and complications that had arisen since the day they'd decided to become Hester High's first open lesbian couple.

"I'll come over after school. Let's have a movie night - Elvis and Anabelle?" Karma raised an eyebrow in question as the first period warning bell rang.

"Blake Lively at her finest. Sounds like a date … you know what I meant."

And with that, Karma walked off to class. Amy watched her go. Maybe, someday down the line, Karma would turn around and tell her the words she'd been longing to hear. But Amy wouldn't wait for that. Right now, she'd settle with having her best friend back in her life. Brandy was right - there must be a thousand other people in this world that could fill the void in her love life, magically. It was all a matter of time and place.

**A/N: Wow. I haven't written for this site in six years, back when Nick Jonas and Selena Gomez were an item and Sonny with a Chance was a hit TV show. I want to vocalize that like the rest of y'all in the Faking It fandom, I do support Karmy whole-heartedly. I ended this story as I did because even though unrequited love is always the unfavourable option, there's something more haunting in its quality because it mirrors reality. Any reviews or comments about Karmy or this story would be heavily appreciated, constructive criticism too. Thank you for reading this.**


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